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Tag Archives: lupine

The Little Things

It seems like just days ago, our hillside was still covered with rotten snow and now it’s covered with tiny growing plants, some already in bloom. The tiny flowers are fleeting so I’m outside searching for them everyday while the Western Meadowlarks and Say’s Phoebes sing from every perch. Northern Flickers call raucously and sometimes I hear the soft call or see the vibrant glimpse of blue from Western Bluebirds who are checking out all our nest boxes. The honeybees are finding pollen to take back to the hives. Spring is wonderful.

Birdsong and Wildflowers

The girls and I enjoyed a slow walk this week. It was slow because there were so many wildflowers and so many birdsongs to listen to. I think Sky appreciated the slowness of the walk. Sometimes, she laid down by my side when I stopped to make a photo or listen to the birds.

Some of the birds we heard (most were not seen) included: Lazuli Bunting, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Warbling and Cassin’s Vireos, Townsend’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, Purple Finch, Song Sparrow, Mountain Chickadee, Pine Siskin, and many others. I should have kept a list.

Spring at Home

A few wildflowers and garden flowers and dogs too.

Spring Scenes

A few things I saw last week.

Yellow, As Far As You Can See

This has been the spring of the balsamroot super bloom in our valley! Most years there is a nice display of the arrowleaf balsamroot but it sure seems like this year is over the top! It is starting to fade on the lower hills and with the upcoming hot weather, the flowers will be gone in just a few days. In addition to the balsamroot, there are two or more kinds of lupine, several varieties of lomatium and larkspur too. It all made a good backdrop to photograph the girls. Willow has not yet learned how to pose for the camera and Sky seems a bit tired of it but I keep trying. There was a prescribed burn up by Mazama and its smoke lingered in the air.